


Father And Uncle

by L_C_Weary



Series: Loan's Captive Prince Month [26]
Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: Auguste Being Dramatic, Auguste Is A Kid And Does Not Understand Things, Auguste Loves His Little Brother, Gen, Not In The Same Context, One slap, Regent Being Himself Watch Out For That
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-19
Updated: 2018-06-19
Packaged: 2019-05-25 10:15:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14975039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/L_C_Weary/pseuds/L_C_Weary
Summary: Auguste didn't like the way his uncle looked at him.(10-Year Anniversary Captive Prince Month, Day 26, Prompt: Touch)





	Father And Uncle

**Author's Note:**

> I know it's late, don't take my head.
> 
> Not first language. No beta. You can figure the rest.

The gathering came to an abrupt end as Aleron dismissed everyone with a flick of his wrist. All the lords and ladies tried to run as fast as they could while still talking and smiling - disgustingly wide.

Auguste hated these meeting, in front of all those who had no idea how to run the country. When it was just the advisers, the professionals, the competent members of the court it was almost interesting.

His father had said he was too young to understand the purpose of a good image, even if the circus was annoying him too. Auguste refused to believe that it served anyone any good.

He had tried to pay attention in the first place, when he was way too proud that his father let him attend the gatherings. Then he understood, his father's compliance was a mask he put on for luring in Auguste. He accepted it, with frowning, he would be king one day, he needed to suffer for his country. He saw starving children in the palace every year when they held the annual charity night, but he had experimented if he could pass out from hunger just to miss these gathering and he found it was worth it.

After waking up, he confessed why he did it. That was one of the few times his father hit him. And maybe from the pain or from the shame he had learned.

He had needed to find new ways to keep his mind working. He tried imagining the members of the gathering in silly costumes theater people wore, when they were performing a farce. To do that, he had to go and watch the farce they performed and it was even worse. He believed he started to understand why it was a great responsibility and a hard job to be a ruler.

Then his little brother came. That was the best day of his life. Not at first. His crude - former - friends wanted to convince him that his sibling would be more important than him, that his parents would not love him anymore. When he voiced his fear to his mother, was the only time his mother scolded him with true intent. His mother, to prove her point, promised him, he would be the third after her and the nanny to hold his little sibling and he would, then, understand. He did.

So, as a companionship, to spend more time with Laurent and to his own amusement he started to bring Laurent to the gatherings. His father was beyond understanding and Auguste realized why he felt in his younger days that his father did not care for him. Father was bad with kids. Auguste was head over hills that he was better at something than the king.

Because Laurent loved him. His little brother was now almost one year old, with blue doe eyes looking around, clinging to Auguste or just napping in his lap. Without a sound, which was the reason Auguste could persuade his father into letting Laurent into the gathering too.

Therefore Laurent was also woken up in the morning and dressed in all blue, in a dress that Auguste highly disapprove of, not just for the sake of having an opinion. It was not appropriate for a kid to wear so much laces. He, himself was uncomfortable in his garments, so a baby should never be put to such cold treatment. The nanny laughed at him, giddily. His father was shocked when he told him his children will never be forced to do such awful things. But he outright refused to talk about it more, when Auguste told him, Mother would have never done it to Laurent.

His father still refused to talk about his wife in general. Auguste felt he have had knew the same pain but at least he wanted to look for happiness in other things. Since the death of Auguste's mother the king was exhausted and impatient, non-stop. For example just dismissing the gathering without reasoning.

About the case of Laurent, Auguste also argued that his brother would need great deal of knowledge when he became his most trusted adviser as Uncle was Father's. Auguste never brought up the subject in front of the two men again when he saw how his uncle looked at him. The man took his side, with eyes lovingly gazing the two of the kids, saying that Auguste was now becoming a responsible boy.

That was something Auguste was deeply ashamed of. He couldn't stand his uncle and he had no idea why. He just found the man unnerving. He knew his uncle's care was genuine but he couldn't shake the feeling off, that every time the man petted his shoulder his pale fingers were going to close around his throat in the next second. Like his look was not filled with love but filled with waiting. Waiting for something Auguste never wanted to imagine.

He couldn't say that to his father, of course, Uncle was the only person holding the king together, after the death of his wife, Auguste understood that. But Auguste in his loneliness, as his mother left, he refused to look for friends that would always turn out to be fake, the king was too busy he had to spend his nights in the company of his uncle. Learning things that was important qualities. Reading, writing, talking, the maps, the people, the culture. Well, he should have spent time with his uncle. He spent that time with Laurent. He felt Uncle was waiting for the moment he could no longer ran away with his little brother in hand.

"Well, that was fruitless," said Uncle with a smile on his face. He also seemed tired as he tried to cheer up the king. Aleron was not buying it.

"I have a meeting with Guion. You said  _that_  was going to go well," Father turned to his brother. Uncle smiled, head shaking.

"Trust me brother," he clapped the king on the shoulder. Father was not fond of that either.

Auguste stood up too, he had plans for the afternoon, he needed to finish reading a story to Laurent that only his brother could find interesting. It was book his little brother picked out at the library by random. It was some kind of political dissertation with commentary by a snarky notary.

Auguste believed he would die just by reading it but Laurent seemed to enjoy it. Not that he could comprehend a word from the main text, that was way beyond Auguste's understanding too. Mostly the commentary fueled his undying love for that book which Auguste tried to act out as lively as he could. It was certainly fun.

They also got dirty looks for the librarian, which was refreshing considering how everyone treated the princes, like they could break their kindliness with anything and everything.

Auguste grabbed Laurent, holding him close to his chest and started leaving, ignoring the older men behind him as he tried to tickle Laurent while not dropping him.

"Auguste," exploded his father's voice in the hallway. He turned back a bit annoyed now, Laurent still giggling in his arms, pulling his hair where he could reach up to. He tried not to wince in front of the king. "You come with me."

Auguste pouted, something he always had to be told was not the manner of a prince. He was sure being grumpy from sunrise to sunset was definitely not the manner of a king. He kept that to himself and to Laurent.

"Don't you even dare to evade it," he said but his words were not mean. Auguste started to learn. He nodded, letting himself a sigh at least.

"I need to take Laurent back to his room, then. I'll be back in a second," he already started to take steps back. Father shook his head.

"We're already late," he seemed annoyed by how long the gathering lasted. Not that a king could not be late. "Your uncle can do it," he said looking at his brother who nodded, reassuring.

Auguste did not react fast enough. Uncle had already got his hands on Laurent's hips when he moved. Auguste took a step back, too big, he realized belatedly. Both men saw the unnatural kind of it.

Laurent looked up, smiling at Uncle. But he couldn't understand it. Auguste was not sure he did it either. It was without a reason. Something he knew was a disgrace. He did not trust his own family, the now most trusted adviser of the king.

Yet every time he considered his punishment both literal and what his reputation would hold if people realized how messed up he was, it always got overwritten by the need to keep Laurent out from his uncle's grasp.

He looked Uncle in the eyes and not for the first time he saw that his eyes were warning. He had no idea why for, to not ever do that again, most probably. He looked back as vicious as he could. He was the prince, the second in line, if he wanted to keep his brother safe he could take steps that were too exaggerated.

When he turned to his father, his face was clear of all harm intended. "A minute as I said," and he turned away from Father's surprised and suspicions look. It made no difference, there were thing Auguste was better at, than the king.

**Author's Note:**

> Auguste had no eyes for deceit, my ass. Also. I might missed something, is it established how Hennike died?
> 
> (Find me on [tumblr](http://answermywearyquery.tumblr.com/).)


End file.
